Messages across Space and Time
by willofire
Summary: This is based in the period when Naruto left Konoha to train with Jiraiya. Told through the eyes of Sakura, the story focuses on her life in Konoha while Naruto was gone.
1. Chapter 1

"Then, if you would excuse me…" Sakura closed the door of the director's office at the Ninja Academy. The momentary silence was instantly broken by a raucous boy running down the corridor, shouting, "See you tomorrow!"

"I bet Naruto was just like that in the past," she muttered to herself under her breath, and shook her head. After realizing how automatically she had made that association, she chuckled to herself. Speaking of Naruto, how much longer was his training going to take? It's already been a year since he left and yet, completely no news at all.

_But he should be okay. Jiraiya-sama is with him after all. And there is no time to worry about him, I need all the time I can get too! _

Right, no time for distractions! She needed to hurry back to practice the new healing technique she had just learnt from Tsunade-sama the day before. Whilst walking out of the door, she was distracted by a quiet sobbing. Curious, she traced the source of the crying.

It was a little boy, leaning against the wall at the back of the Academy. His head was down, so it was hard to see his face from where she was standing. His bright red hair drew the attention away from the fact that he was of a smaller build than those his age, assuming that he was indeed enrolled in the Academy. Notably, he cried in a more dignified way than most his age. Instead of the usual bawling and wailing, tears slowly made their way down his face, accompanied by the occasional sniffling, and dripped onto the grass at his feet,. Somehow, though his actions made him seem adept at controlling his emotions, to Sakura, it actually emphasized the profoundness of the sadness he must have been feeling.

She went up to him slowly and asked, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, while drying his eyes with his hands. Sakura took a look around and realized that it was not hard to deduce the reason for his crying; he was here alone when there were sounds of merrymaking children coming from quite a distance away. Unsure of what to do, she stood next to him, waiting for him to voice his worries or even whine – both unlikely going by her first impression of him. His tears had stopped, but he had shut his eyes and remained motionless and silent. With her near to non-existent experience with children, Sakura did not know what to do, but felt that it was only right for her to wait.

After a while, he abruptly faced her, with a discreet smile on his tear-stained face, and said, "Thank you! I'm fine now!" He shoved something into her hand, and it fell through her fingertips. Before she could recover from the shock of the sudden change in him, he had already disappeared down the streets.

"What was with that quick rebound? Nice to be young," Sakura bent down in the grass to look for what the boy had given her. A spot of bright red poked out conspicuously from the grass near the bottom of the wall. She parted the grass and picked up the sweet. At the same time, a series of strange scratches on the very bottom of the wall caught her attention. These would usually have gone unnoticed, shielded away from curious eyes by the grass.

Interested, she bent forward for a closer examination. Rather than scratches, they were actually words eked into the wall, albeit very badly etched and untidy ones.

"_Happy birthday to me! I wish for daddy and mummy to be back soon!"_

She ran her fingers over the etchings. Judging from the handwriting and the message, it should have been some student in the Ninja Academy. Was it that boy just now? But it felt like the etchings had been around for quite some time, exactly how long have they been here? Who was the culprit? Could it be somebody she knew? How very puzzling… it was a mystery yearning to be solved. However, there were too few clues, and though she was really curious, she really had to attend to other more pressing issues. Prompted by the reality check, she took a last look at the mysterious message and left.


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura dashed down the alley with the grocery bag wrapped tightly in her right arm. She only had another ten minutes to the meeting with Tsunade-sama, and she really did not relish the experience of having to listen to another lecture about punctuality.

"_Sakura, you are late! Being punctual is just one of the basic virtues I would expect from you! You probably think that I am being too strict on you when you are only late for two minutes, but what if the person waiting for you was a patient? Two minutes can mean life or death! … Would die… A waste of time… Good ninja… Good doctor… Understood?" _

The memory of the previous lecture by Tsunade-sama inadvertently caused a boost in her speed as she rounded the corner. Thump! She crashed into a villager who happened to be coming from the other direction. The recoil from the crash scattered the oranges in the grocery bag.

_Of all days, why did this have to happen today? _

She scrambled after the oranges that were rolling in all possible directions. Just as she was about to pick the last one off the ground, she detected something on the nearby wall surrounding the building that housed the Hokage's office – inscriptions that seemed to have grown faint over time.

The mysterious message she had found at the Ninja Academy suddenly came to mind. That had been six months ago. If not for this reminder, it would have totally slipped her mind. Still, to be honest, she had not consciously tried to remember it.

She edged forward to make out the words.

"_Did I do something wrong? Why does nobody like me? But, I want to laugh with everybody else too!"_

They were simple words – no beautiful expressions, no flowery language, and no poetic images conjured. Yet, the sense of loneliness exuding from them was deep, far deeper than anything she had ever felt from reading any piece of writing.

In a way, she could understand where this child was coming from. There was a point of time when she felt the same way. But thinking back, rather than being ostracized by other children, she avoided them consciously because of her inferiority complex. Thanks to Ino, her situation changed for the better and she was able to break out of her shell. Even though she would never admit that Ino was her best friend, she could not deny that she was an important person in who made her who she was and could be…

It sounded like there was no such person in this child's life. What he had said was a reflection of the cruelly oblivious nature of people; his parents did not seem to be with him, and yet, instead of showering him with love, the people around him had forced him into a corner. What did he do? What could he have done? He was still too young to have to understand or feel like that; nobody deserved to be treated like that.

Hopefully, this child could also meet someone like Ino. In fact, anybody would be fine. His wish was a simple one, anybody who wanted to would be able to help him fulfill it. It could even be her, as long as she figured out who he was. That gave an additional reason for figuring out who the sender of these wall messages are, on top of her curiosity. To crack the mystery, she needed more clues and so more messages. There was nothing she could do but wait for more messages to appear.

For now, it was no mystery what would happen if she was late. As she sprinted all the way to Tsunade-sama's office, a sudden thought flashed through her head. If she just waited passively, how was she different from those cruel and oblivious people? She must try to hunt down more messages when she could. That was a promise.

She stopped in front of a door, caught her breath and knocked.

"Come in," Thankfully, she still sounded calm. Relieved, Sakura went into the office, and closed the door behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

For the past few weeks, she had been paying attention to the walls as she strolled down the streets, hoping to catch another trace of those mysterious messages. There was a high chance she would not be able to find anything by just randomly looking, but it was better than not doing anything.

Ino and Shizune-san had noticed that something was strange and tried questioning her about it; it was too much of a chore to explain and so she always brushed it off as fatigue. Even if she had explained her obsession with walls, they would probably persuade her to stop the mindless search. Perhaps it was quite pointless, but she could not help feeling that it was something she had to do.

Plop.

Was that her imagination?

All of a sudden, the rain started crashing down on her – apparently not just her imagination. She looked up at the sky; it did not look like it would let up soon. She would have to take refuge for the time being; taking a quick look around, she ran into the nearest tea house.

"Welcome! Would you like some tea? And dango to go with it? It would warm you up!" The cheery shopkeeper welcomed Sakura.

"Yes please." Sakura sat down on the bench and closed her eyes, enjoying the breeze that accompanied the downpour. It felt like ages ago since she last leisurely sat down and enjoyed tea; she had so much to learn from Tsunade-sama, and she wanted to do it in the shortest time possible. Perhaps she was really exhausted, so much that Shizune-san and Ino easily accepted her excuse without any doubts.

Yet, there was no two ways about it. She had an objective in mind, and she was willing to do whatever is needed to accomplish it. She had to have something to show Naruto when he came back – he was not the only one training hard. She would prove that she did not need protecting this time round.

Unconsciously, she ran her fingers along the side of the bench, and discovered a series of clustered etchings that did not seem to be part of the natural wood grain.

_Another message?_

Her eyes fluttered open and she bent down to take a closer look at the message she had been searching high and low for. To her surprise, the side of the bench was covered with all sorts of messages. She scanned the various messages quickly, and quickly closed in on a particular one, which drew her attention because of the familiar style of etching.

_If only I can be friends with that black-haired kid… He looks lonely too. _

The sense of longing hit her in the gut. What were all these other people in the village doing? Letting a child, no, two children, experience this sort of pain… But, who was she blaming? She could easily have been one of those people – painfully, selfishly unaware. If only she knew who this was, she would make it up to him. That is… if he was still around, and if he was still lonely. Hopefully, he has found someone. In any case, she was rooting for him and the 'black-haired kid'.

"Your tea is served…" Breaking her train of thought, the shop attendant gently placed the teacup and the plate of dango on the bench. She sat back down on the bench and took a sip of the tea, pondering about the messages again.

_Who exactly was the person who carved these messages? When were they carved? _

And the message this time did not just tell her more about the child; it hinted to her that she had not been looking hard enough. The carvings were not just limited to walls; they could be anywhere! Great, now she had to keep a lookout for practically everything, she would look even more suspicious and paranoid. But what could she do?

She finished the last of her tea and dango, and strolled out into the light drizzle.


	4. Chapter 4

_Sweat trickled down Sakura's face, which was tense with concentration as she carefully directed the final surge of chakra into her patient. She waited. Nothing happened. Another failure – not the first, and probably not the last she would know of. She never expected it to be easy, but she was failing more spectacularly than she had anticipated. _

_She picked the fish off the table. All of a sudden, it flopped back to life in her hands. Nothing could wipe that grin off her face as she gently lowered the fish into the tank of water that had lain vacant for weeks. _

_She hurriedly strode to Tsunade-sama's office, hardly able to contain her excitement. She knocked, waited for the reply, and gradually pushed the door open. _

"_Didn't I tell you to concentrate on your healing technique until you can –" Hit by the sudden realization, Tsunade-sama stopped mid-sentence. She glanced at Sakura, and broke into a smile almost instantaneously. "You did it, didn't you? In a shorter time than I expected even. Good job!" Those were well-deserved words of praise that were rare. But even rarer was the grin on Sakura's face that followed, as she temporarily put aside the serious demeanour she usually donned in front of her master. _

_Motionless and speechless during the short exchange between master and disciple, Shizune-san, who had her eyes widened in surprise the whole time, finally sprang to life. In two long strides, she had closed the gap between her and Sakura, and only paused for a fraction of a second – just enough for Sakura to see her damp eyes and the relief in her smile – before she wrapped her in a tight hug. _

Sakura had finally mastered that healing technique after many grueling hours of practice. According to Shizune-san, it was an important milestone, and an indication that she was on the threshold to many more advanced techniques. If she had not been able to cross that threshold, it meant that she lacked the talent, and Tsunade-sama would have ended her medical ninja training there and then. (To Sakura, that was all the more reason to be glad that she did it.) In any case, Shizune-san was so happy for her that she promised to treat both Sakura and Tsunade-sama to ramen. Speaking of ramen, it would have to be the most savoury ramen stall – which explained why they were at Ichiraku Ramen.

"Shizune, more sake!" Tsunade-sama started waving her cup around feverishly. Sakura had expected this; Tsunade-sama's love for sake is unparalleled, perhaps with the exception of Jiraiya-sama. Somewhere out there, Naruto might be facing the same situation she was now.

"Ok ok… We'll get more at home ok?" Shizune-san caught hold of Tsunade-sama's hand and wriggled the cup out of her grasp, gently placing it on the table, while thanking the chef. Thankfully, Shizune-san was here. Sakura never knew how to react to the drunken Tsunade-sama; she was so different from the strict and brilliant master she knew usually. Though, to be honest, she would probably never get used to it, not that she would ever want to. Shizune-san helped Tsunade-sama to her feet, and slowly walked her out. Sakura bowed, "See you tomorrow." Shizune-san smiled and gave a quick nod to Sakura.

As Sakura stepped out of the stall, she felt a sudden sense of déjà vu. She could almost imagine Naruto making a ruckus behind her, refusing to leave before his insatiable craving for ramen was quenched, and Kakashi-sensei's show of embarrassment at Naruto's proclamations about his stinginess. And of course… Sasuke-kun's nonchalance at all of that.

After stepping into the dimly lit streets, Sakura turned to look at the stall again.

_Ichiraku Ramen. Possibly Naruto's favourite hangout in the village. _

As she averted her eyes and prepared to leave, she noticed some faint markings at the very edge of the paper lantern that illuminated the entrance of Ichiraku Ramen. Could it be what she thought it was? But up till now, they have always been engravings… Despite feeling that it must be wishful thinking on her part, she took a quick look around before slowly moving forward to look at the suspicious markings.

_Happy birthday! Ramen from Iruka-sensei tastes the best! Hehe!_

This is surprisingly cheerful, and on a different note from the past distress calls. Deep down, she felt happy for the mysterious sender; it seemed like he was not alone anymore. He had found someone. Someone called Iruka-sensei – Iruka-sensei? Ramen? Ramen from Iruka-sensei?

Running through the previous messages… Ostracised, parents not being around? Everything clicked into place at that enlightening instant.

"It was Naruto." Without meaning to, she had verbalized the thought. She knew the messages were old. But never did she expect them to be that old. The first one was probably penned four or five years back, or more. She had been listening in to the thoughts of the younger Naruto – from the days when she did not know who he really was, or rather who he had chosen to portray himself as.

The previous messages flooded into her head all at once – even though she knew he probably did not enjoy a rosy childhood, but it had never occurred to her that it was that heart-wrenching… She was one of those that had ostracized him and left him alone. Even though they did indeed become nakama in the end, what she had done… was unforgiveable. Instead of being triumphant from what she found out, guilt seemed to well out of her from an unknown, unlimited source. As part of the brutally oblivious faceless mass… what had she done?

As a child, she had often seen gossiping mothers gathered at the gates of the Academy, warning their children not to play with Naruto – as if he had some contagious illness – even though he was in clear sight and could obviously hear them. What had they done?

_What have we all done? _

The damage was irreversible. She could not reverse time. All she could offer… was her friendship now, though she could not help but ruminate if she had even been a good enough nakama for him.

From Naruto's eyes, it was likely that she only had eyes for Sasuke-kun. And as much as she would like to deny it, it was the truth. Perhaps, she may still be guilty on this charge – even when Sasuke-kun left, she was still too busy trying to chase his distant receding figure, than to treasure the bonds she still shared with Naruto.

_Naruto, when are you coming back? _


	5. Chapter 5

Even after cracking the identity of the message sender, Sakura was all the more fervent in searching for new messages.

Now that she knew who the sender was, it might be easier to locate his traces. She just had to find time to comb places that Naruto used to frequent or places that held special significance for him.

_But where are those exactly? Seems like I really don't know him well enough. _

Messages that Naruto had left, words that he had never intended for an audience… She wanted to know, she needed to know. She thought she had understood all there was to him, but she did not. Perhaps too eager about Sasuke-kun back then, she had gladly accepted Naruto as who he made himself out to be – insensitive and noisy. But as always, he sprung a surprise and turned the tables.

All this time, she had taken his cheerfulness for granted. Sure, he was noisy, but the important things… he always kept close to his heart. When he did not say anything, what was he really thinking? What did his silence mean?

It was the chance to learn more about Naruto, not just what he wanted other people to know, but who he really was. How could she have just taken everything at face value? She could not help but feel unworthy as a part of Team 7, as Naruto's nakama. If what he had to say subsequently expressed disappointment or sadness, she would bear the brunt of her failure.

Deep in thought, her feet had unconsciously brought her to the training grounds where they had their first training with Kakashi-sensei. Thinking back, it was a memorable experience, but at that moment, it was unbelievably scary. It was the place where Team 7 truly started.

_Could it be…? _

She pushed past the gates and swiftly walked to the log that Naruto had been mercilessly tied to. Circling the log, she looked carefully. There it was! Right at the bottom of the log! It would have gone unnoticed by even the most observant person who did not know what to look for.

At first glance, she was stunned. It was not quite what she had expected. But then again, she should have expected it – since Naruto has never been a predictable person.

After a while, feeling like she had spent a moment too long staring at the log, she got up and left, still lost in thought, wondering when each and every message especially the last was carved.

"Where have you been? You are late!" Without realizing it, she had walked into her training room – right into the wrath of Tsunade-sama.

"Sorry, I was occupied with something and lost track of the time," She bowed her head, truly sorry, after sneaking a look at the oppressive ticking mechanism on the wall.

"What else can be more important than your training? Do you think you have time to waste on distractions? … …"

After a full-blown lecture, Tsunade-sama taught Sakura a new technique and left her to her own devices in the training room – this time, with a frog. Sakura fed the sickly frog with a unique blend of what she thought would be the right potions – apparently not, since it turned purple and stopped breathing suddenly. Despite her best efforts, it could not be saved.

Heaving a sigh, she wiped the perspiration off her forehead. Suddenly, what Naruto wrote came back to her.

_Team 7 all the way! _

She was expecting something more … well, angsty, but it seemed like more happiness had wriggled its way into Naruto's life. Thankfully. And the fact that it had been Team 7? It brought a smile to her face.

She would do whatever it takes to bring team 7 back. And this was a good reminder that she was not the only one fighting for that.

_Thank you… As always. _


	6. Chapter 6

It was another month before curiosity got the better of Sakura again. Or rather, another month before she could finally think about something other than what she had learnt from Tsunade-sama. Though there was no sign or guarantee that there would be more messages from Naruto, she just had a hunch that there would be more.

"Sakura."

"Sakura!" The tone of irritation in Tsunade-sama's voice made Sakura alert immediately.

"My sincere apologies, Tsunade-sama."

"Your next lesson is about making antidotes, but, you need to collect some medicinal herbs before that." Sakura took a brief look at the list Tsunade-sama handed over to her, which consisted of several pages filled with names and pictures of the different herbs.

"I'll give you three days to collect everything there – you should be able to find it all in the forests surrounding Konoha. Report back here once you are done."

"Understood." Sakura set off immediately; it was not a short list, and she needed all the time she was given. After doing some quick research and light packing, she ventured into the forests.

* * *

><p>Sakura had spent two days in the forest. So far, her progress had been good. And if she could keep to this pace, she might even finish her task early. However, there was just one last plant that continued to elude her in her search. She looked at the description once again.<p>

_Usually grows on elevated and dry areas, such as rocky cliffs. _

Sakura perused the map. Out of all the possible areas on the map, there was only one she had not searched yet, and it should be just… up front. Sakura looked up, and saw a clearing up ahead. She dashed out of the seemingly never-ending forests, and was immediately overwhelmed by the sunlight. After her eyes adjusted, she took a good look around.

_Bingo. _

It was the right place. Now, all she had to do was find the plant.

After searching meticulously for two hours, she still had no luck. But for better or for worse, she had only searched half of the area.

_Plop. _

The first raindrops had fallen. She was so focused on looking for the plant that she had not noticed the impending rain.

In any case, she did not have much time. She needed to head for shelter soon; looking at the sky, the rain would not ease up anytime soon. She scanned the area up ahead for signs of the herb, and realized that something far in the horizon resembled what she needed. She dashed ahead in excitement, compared the plant with the picture she had and finally added the last item to her collection triumphantly. As if in reaction to her finding the plant, the rain started pouring down, heavily.

_Just in time. _

As she looked around for possible shelter, she realized that she was actually in the presence of the two great ninjas that founded Konoha. The two magnificent yet solemn statues marked a legendary battle and milestone for Konoha. Awed, she stood her step for several moments, during which a thought crept into her mind.

_Isn't this the place – Sasuke-kun and Naruto… _

She was not there on that fateful day, and nobody really gave her a detailed account of what happened. Yet, piecing together all the scraps of information she got from different sources, this was probably the place. If that was so, the other thing she was also looking for might be here too.

Scanning her surroundings quickly, which consisted of cliffs and trees, she instinctively moved towards the tree that marked the very edge of the forest. She lowered herself and examined the tree.

Her initial excitement instantly dissolved into coldness that seemed to spread through her entire being, down to her numbing fingertips. Just two words, but it struck close to home. It was the exact same two words that resounded in her head over and over again since that fateful day.

Yet, this was not the time to wallow in self-misery and despair. Not yet. The earlier she could finish the training under Tsunade-sama, the faster she could find out the answer to that question. And this time, she was not going to just rely on Naruto, they would face it together, no matter what it was. Resolved, she stepped into the rain-soaked forest and headed back, as the rain slowly streamed down the deep carvings left on the tree, the unanswered question echoing in her head.

_Sasuke… why? _


	7. Chapter 7

"It's been one year since Naruto left… Time flies, doesn't it? Sakura's training is also going well, better than I expected actually. She really is smart," Tsunade reminisced over a cup of tea, while overlooking the peaceful village from her office.

"Tsunade-sama, you are being unfair…" Shizune retorted. Tsunade spun around in surprise. Shizune continued, "It's not just because she's smart, is it? She works really hard! In fact, I would say too hard… as if she is running out of time,"

"I know… That's because she has something she wants to accomplish. Plus, knowing that Naruto is out there working hard makes her want to push herself even harder. The power of youth…."

"But…" Shizune wanted to voice her worries, but knowing that it was a situation she would never understand, stopped herself.

"Anyway, has there been any word from her?" Tsunade broke the silence tactfully.

"Yes, she has completed the mission successfully and is scheduled to return from Sunagakure today."

At that exact moment, Sakura reached the main gates of Konoha. It was a longer trip than she had expected, and she could not wait to get back to her training.

"Konohamaru-san, wait!" Two boys were running towards Sakura. They seemed to be fighting or arguing over something, and the smaller one at the back was struggling to keep up. What was Konohamaru doing with that small boy? Wait, he actually looks familiar. The boy crying at the Ninja Academy months ago right? He's being bullied again? Even Konohamaru was joining the league of bullies?

"You're sooo slow!" Konohamaru taunted and ran through the gate. Sakura took a step into his path, intending to stop him, but Konohamaru cleverly took a swerve towards the left. On the other hand, the bullied boy, concentrated on catching Konohamaru, bumped headfirst into Sakura, and fell backwards, his back hitting the gateway hard.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that," Sakura extended her hand. Unexpectedly, Konohamaru was already helping the boy up. Concerned, he asked, "You ok?", surprising Sakura. The boy got up and slowly raised his head. Sakura half-expected a tear-streaked face, but unexpectedly…

"I caught you! Even though I didn't plan for it to go like this… but you have to teach me the jutsu you promised!" He was all smiles. He turned towards Sakura and chirped, "Big sister, thank you for helping me catch Konohamaru-san!", stunning Sakura even further with his bright smile.

"I have no choice then… A promise is a promise. Fine, I will teach you Oiroke no Jutsu." Konohamaru gave in.

_Isn't that the disgusting jutsu that Naruto invented? He even taught Konohamaru?_

Sakura reacted instinctively and delivered a blow to Konohamaru's head, which immediately invoked a loud shriek.

"Scary…" He gave her a teary glance and ran back into the village, with the boy beside him. Even when they were far in the distance, Sakura could still hear his excited voice and ringing laughter. She was about to go through the gates when she saw something familiar on the gateway.

Her eyes widened in shock from the surprise – a pleasant one. She thought the last message would be the end of Naruto's inscriptions, but there was actually more. She had stopped looking for messages, thinking that the previous one was an apt end to it all.

But as always, she was too quick to jump to conclusions. And Naruto reminded her in his own way that that was not the end, merely the beginning.

_I'll be back, and I promise that I would be strong then. Just wait!_

That ignited the flames of competitiveness in her. Wait and see! Naruto was not the only one training hard, she was going to be stronger too, maybe even stronger than him. With newfound determination, she stepped under the gates of Konoha.

"Sakura…" Sakura looked over her shoulders.

"He's back," Tsunade-sama declared with a slight smile on her face.

_About time… It has been two and a half years. _

Tsunade-sama and Sakura walked down the streets of Konoha together, prepared to welcome their nakama home.

"Sa… Sakura-chan?" A familiar voice called out to her. She spun around.

"I'm back!" There he was, the sun shining brightly down on him, with a radiant smile.

"Welcome home." She seemed to feel the same warmth from his smile emanating within herself.

Everything has changed, but at the same time, it was still the same. This was definitely only the beginning.


	8. Epilogue

"It's been two and a half years… but I am back to fulfill my promise," Naruto took several steps towards the gateway and bent down. Nostalgic, he ran a hand over the carvings on the stone surface.

_It's still here! Even after two and a half years. _

He had taken it upon himself to leave some of his "traces" all over Konoha, something that nobody else would be particularly pleased about – remembering the furor when he vandalized the Hokage portraits, he shuddered. But this was harmless fun, and he did not do it with any ill intentions. Thinking about it, every single note meant something, and triggered a whole host of memories and circumstances under which he had written the messages. If he had to put it in a mushy way, it was somewhat like a growth diary. To be honest, he could not remember when he had started, but it became an important venture for him. Nobody knew about this. Not that he had meant to keep it hidden, but rather than being messages to be conveyed to another person, they were reminders for himself.

_Wait… what is that? _

_You are taking way too long. _

Next to what he had scratched out, someone else had taken the liberty to leave a message too. It was probably some youngster who found his message by accident, and wanted to leave a cheeky reply.

"What are you doing squatting at the gate? Aren't you dying to go in?" Jiraiya's remark prompted Naruto to shrug off the message and head into Konoha. He was happy to be back after having been away for such a long journey, a journey that was not all fun, but extremely fulfilling.

Jiraiya and Naruto strolled into the village, both silently taking in the familiar streets, shops and people. Just then, a speck of bubblegum pink in the distance caught Naruto's attention.

"Sa… Sakura-chan?" His team 7 nakama spun around.

"I'm back!"

"Welcome home." Did he imagine that slight smile on her face?

Everything in Konoha was still the same, but some things had changed. This was definitely only the beginning, of something greater.

However, what Naruto did not know was that it was also the beginning of a new mystery – a mystery that remained to be solved. After all, how was he to know that the message at the gates was only one out of a series of seven? To him, it was a meaningless prank, but it was from someone who wanted him to have a taste of his own medicine. Somebody who had read and responded to his messages across space and time.

Author's notes: Well, that was it. Thanks for reading this story till the end! I hope I managed to express the nuances in the relationship of Sakura and Naruto, as well as Sakura's growth over the two and a half years.

I don't write very consistently, and so there were large gaps of time when the series wasn't updated. For those who read my series since it began and waited patiently during those times, I really can't thank you guys enough. The reviews that came in really kept me going, I really appreciated it! :)


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